3 Days in Bangkok
The classic first visit: Old City temples, modern Sukhumvit, and a third day of markets and neighbourhoods — Chatuchak, Ari and Khao San — with live directory picks for every stop.
Place suggestions are pulled live from our directory and re-rank as ratings change — save your favourites to My Trip as you go.
Day 1: The Old City: Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Wat Arun
Start with the classics while you're fresh — the three big sights sit within one riverside walk, and the earlier you arrive, the kinder the heat and the crowds.
Morning
Grand Palace & Wat Phra Kaew, then Wat Pho
Be at the Grand Palace for opening (8:30, ฿500, tickets sold until 15:30) — it's Thailand's most visited site and by 10:00 the tour groups own it. Dress code is enforced: covered shoulders and knees for everyone. From the palace it's a 10-minute walk south to Wat Pho (฿300, open to 19:30) and its 46-metre reclining Buddha; the temple is also the birthplace of Thai massage, and its on-site school is the most traditional place in the city to try one.
Coffee stops near the temples
- Rim&Rang Coffee and Tea House · ★ 5.0 · ฿1–200
- Coffee Buri : Specialty Coffee · ★ 5.0
- Ninno's Homemade · ★ 5.0 · ฿1–200
Afternoon
Cross the river to Wat Arun
Take the ฿5 cross-river ferry from Tha Tien pier to Wat Arun (฿200, open to 18:00) — the porcelain-encrusted Temple of Dawn. Climb the central prang for the river view, then eat on the Thonburi side, where the riverside tables are cheaper and calmer than the palace-side tourist strip.
Lunch on the Thonburi side
- โก-มนต์ อาหารตามสั่ง (Go-Mon Restaurant) · ★ 5.0
- Somtum restaurant - ร้านส้มตำ ตามสั่ง · ★ 5.0
- Plant And Egg · ★ 5.0 · ฿1–200
Evening
Yaowarat (Chinatown) street-food crawl
Bangkok's Chinatown turns into one of Asia's great street-food strips after dark. Come hungry, graze along Yaowarat Road — and don't commit to the first stall; the queues of locals mark the good ones.
Where the queues form in Yaowarat
- Yaowarat Night Street Food · ★ 4.6 · ฿
- Pad Thai Street Food · ★ 5.0
- GSB street food · ★ 4.8
Day 2: Modern Bangkok: Siam, Jim Thompson and a Thonglor rooftop
Day two is the other Bangkok — malls the size of neighbourhoods, a silk baron's teak mansion, and the skyline from a rooftop bar.
Morning
Jim Thompson House & Siam
The Jim Thompson House museum is the best half-morning in central Bangkok: six teak houses, a jungle garden and the strange story of the American who revived Thai silk and vanished in 1967. It's a short walk from BTS National Stadium, next to the Siam mall cluster.
Cafés around Siam & Ratchathewi
- VR Cafe · ★ 5.0
- Dr.Green Cafe Coffee Shop ร้านกาแฟดร.กรีน · ★ 4.9 · ฿1–200
- คาเฟ่บ้านคุณปู่ · ★ 4.8 · ฿1–200
Afternoon
Sukhumvit at street level
Ride the BTS east into Sukhumvit and pick your pace: EmQuartier and Emporium for air-conditioned wandering, Benjasiri Park for shade, or the sois around Phrom Phong and Thonglor for galleries and coffee. This is also prime massage territory when your feet give out.
Massage & spa picks in Sukhumvit
- Massage@ONE (Sukhumvit 23) · ★ 5.0
- Relaxing Time Massage and Spa Asok · ★ 4.9
- Supannika Massage · ★ 4.9
Evening
Dinner and a Thonglor rooftop
Thonglor is Bangkok's eating-and-drinking neighbourhood of the moment. Book dinner, then finish on a rooftop — most ask for smart-casual (no sleeveless shirts or flip-flops for men) and the view is worth the dress code.
Rooftops with the skyline view
- BECKA BAR · ★ 5.0 · ฿1–800
- Destination RoofTop Bar · ★ 4.9 · ฿200–1,400
- Cul de Sac - Thonglor Rooftop Bar · ★ 4.9
Day 3: Markets and neighbourhoods: Chatuchak, Ari and Khao San
Weekend? Chatuchak. Weekday? Swap in a food-court-and-neighbourhood morning — either way, day three is about Bangkok beyond the sights.
Morning
Chatuchak Weekend Market
15,000 stalls, everything from antiques to axolotls. Go early (it's open Saturday–Sunday, roughly 9:00–18:00), pick two or three sections rather than trying to see it all, and follow the coconut-ice-cream carts when you overheat. On weekdays, the smaller Or Tor Kor food market next door is the fallback.
Markets & food courts in Chatuchak
- Chatuchak Weekend Market · ★ 4.5 · ฿
- Or Tor Kor Market · ★ 4.4 · ฿฿
Afternoon
Ari's café streets
Two BTS stops south, Ari is the neighbourhood Bangkokians pick for a slow afternoon — leafy sois, specialty coffee and small design shops, with almost no tour groups.
Evening
Khao San, eyes open
Love it or roll your eyes at it, Khao San Road is a Bangkok institution — cheap pad thai, buckets, live music and people-watching. Go for the spectacle, keep your phone zipped in a front pocket, and agree tuk-tuk prices before you get in.
Bars & clubs around Khao San
- XongSilp · ★ 4.8
- Platinum Lounge # Central Pinklao · ★ 4.7
- Ecstacy Bruhh · ★ 4.0
Good to know
Check the live forecast and air quality before locking your outdoor days, confirm your entry rules in the visa checker, and skim the common scams page — the "temple is closed today" routine is aimed precisely at people following itineraries like this one.
Timing your trip around a festival? See the festival calendar — Songkran and Loy Krathong reshape any itinerary, in the best way.
Frequently asked questions
Is 3 days enough for Bangkok?
Three days covers the essentials well: the Old City temples, modern Bangkok around Siam and Sukhumvit, and a markets-and-neighbourhoods day. You'll leave with a list for next time — everyone does.
What's the best area to stay for this itinerary?
Anywhere near a BTS station on the Sukhumvit line (Asok to Thonglor) balances nightlife, food and transport; Riverside suits the temple-and-boat days and honeymoon budgets; Ari is the quiet local pick. Avoid basing yourself in the Old City itself — it's transit-poor after dark.
How much should I budget per day in Bangkok?
Excluding the hotel: a street-food-and-BTS day runs ฿600–1,000; a mixed day with a sit-down dinner, a massage and a rooftop drink lands around ฿1,500–3,000. The big variable is drinks — cocktails at skyline rooftops cost Western prices.